The Times We Spend Together
by Clueless4You
Summary: Edward ended up in the Ouran Universe after an alchemic incident. He joins the Host Club after some persuasion. Much different that it seems. Updates will be sporadic, sorry about that. No pairings, really.
1. Chapter 1

**AN: Alright guys, I'm going to try a little something new here with this crossover, but I hope everything goes well. Have fun with this one! Love you all!"**

Edward huffed and slung the strap of his backpack over his shoulder. He glared at the imposing building in front of him. It was large and white, and Ed could tell there were many passages to get lost in.

"Aw, man, Al. I wish you were here to see this!" Ed sighed and adjusted the glove on his right hand. "Okay, let's get this over with."

He trudged through the large gates and up to the doors. He saw many pretty girls with their hair done up in hundreds of fancy styles. They were all wearing horribly frilled, sun-yellow dresses.

The boys had light blue suit jackets, like his own. The only difference was the tie. Ed couldn't figure out how to get the knot right, so he ended up just yanking it off of his neck.

Edward heard a bell ring, and saw everyone stand `from their spots and move towards the building. He joined in the flow and found himself in front of double doors. The nameplate on the doorframe read 'Music Room 3'. Edward shrugged and pushed the door open.

A flurry of bright red rose petals cascaded down into his face, and a bright light shone through the gap. Ed spluttered and tried to swat them out of his face.

"Why, hello! And to what do we owe the pleasure of your visit?" A dark, somewhat cynical voice emerged from the room. Edward frowned as the light dimmed. In front of him, he found six young men and one teenage girl, who was wearing the boy's uniform for some reason.

"Hey, hey, what's the big idea with the lights? You're gonna blind somebody!" Edward pushed his way through the boys and avoided contact with the girl altogether as he entered the room. He spotted a comfy-looking couch and plopped himself on it.

"Excuse me, sir, but I believe I asked you a question. Why are you here?"

Ed looked up, meeting the gaze of a tall, black-haired youth. He pushed the glasses farther up his nose, allowing them to reflect the light and giving him a dangerous look. "I believe you said 'To what do we owe the pleasure of your visit', not 'why are you here'. You're going to give somebody the wrong impression if you keep changing your mind."

The young man smirked slightly. "I suppose I did. So, why don't I reiterate. What are you doing in this music room at this particular time? Most people have gone to their first hour classes."

Ed smiled. "Now we're getting somewhere. Well, I got lost and couldn't find my way to my first class. I figured I might as well spend the time here, and try again tomorrow. I ended up here after a few minutes of wandering." He held out his left hand. "I'm Edward Elric, by the way. It's a pleasure to meet you."

The boy looked at the hand for a moment. "Are you left handed?"

"As a matter of fact, no. I just prefer to make a lasting first impression. Changing things up a little only adds to that effect."

He nodded. "All right. My name is Kyoya Ootori, a second year student. I would like to welcome you to the Ouran High School Host Club."

A jittery, blonde boy who was only slightly shorter than Kyoya jumped forward next, enthusiastically shoving his left hand under Edward's nose. "My name is Tamaki Suoh, I'm a second year student as well, and I'm known as the King of the Host Club!"

Ed looked him up and down, noting the excited gleam in his bright blue eyes. He stuck his hand out just as enthusiastically, grinning from ear to ear. "Nice ta meet ya! The name's Edward, but you can call me Ed!"

Tamaki nodded, smiling brightly. He was pushed out of the way by a much smaller, younger-looking student with darker blonde hair and a pink bunny rabbit tucked under his arm.

"I'm Hunny! I like cute things and cake, and I'm a third year! And this is my bunny, Usa-chan!" Edward got sparkles in his eyes.

"Ooooooh, a bunny! Can I hold him pleeeeaasse?" He gave Hunny the cutest look he could manage and clasped his hands under his chin. Hunny thrust Usa-chan out to Edward, who wrapped his arms around the pink animal and squeezed it to his chest. After a few seconds, he reluctantly gave the bunny back to its rightful owner.

The small boy was lifted gently and deposited on another student's shoulders. "Mori," he said. Edward nodded once in his direction.

Next were two identical twins, with pale orange hair styled opposite each other. "I'm Hikaru," said the one on the right, "I'm Kaoru," said the one on the left, "And we're… the Hitachiin twins!" they said in unison. Edward could hear a slight pitch difference in their voices.

"So," they said, putting on matching bowler's hats and spinning around each other, "Let's play the 'Which One is Hikaru' game!" Edward stood and walked in between them. He tapped Hikaru, who was on his right, gently with his elbow.

"You're Hikaru. I can already hear a difference in your voices." He smiled charmingly at the two. They stared back, awestruck. Edward continued on as the rest of the host club (minus Kyoya, of course) stared at him. He walked straight up to the female of the group and took her hand in his.

"My name is Edward Elric. Who might the lovely lady be?" The girl pulled her hand out of his grasp, not unkindly.

"My name is Haruhi Fujioka. I'm sorry if any of my clubmates gave you the wrong impression of our club. They're not actually so bad, once you get to know them."

Tamaki launched himself at Haruhi, wrapping his arms around her waist. "Mommy, look! Haruhi said she loved her daddy!" He cried crocodile tears as Mori came up beside the two and lifted Haruhi to safety, setting her on his shoulder next to Hunny.

"You're not my father, and I never said I loved you! Get that through your thick head, Tamaki-senpai!" Tamaki went emo all of a sudden and holed up in a corner, growing mushrooms.

Edward watched the occurrences with mild interest. "Is this a normal thing here?" He whispered to the twins. They nodded in unison.

Kyoya looked over his shoulder at the new arrival. He hadn't been able to find any data on this boy at all with his trusty computer. It was strange; the boy seemed to just appear out of nowhere. The only thing he could find with the name 'Elric' was an obituary for a woman named Trisha. The part which mentioned her surviving family was conveniently left out. He also had another question for the boy.

"Tell me, Edward, how were you able to tell so easily that Haruhi is a girl? We've kept is a very tight secret."

Edward looked at him, confused. "It was a secret? Well, it was pretty poorly kept. I could tell from the moment I saw her that she was a female. Why, could you not?"

The entirety of the host club focused their glares on Tamaki, who was still in his emo corner. "Ah, that's it. How long did it take you? An hour? I'd say two, tops."

Tamaki whimpered and hunched farther over his mushrooms. Kaoru jumped in. "It took the boss an entire _day_ to figure it out! The rest of us knew pretty quickly, though."

Ed nodded absently. "Hey, Haruhi?" The girl looked up from the instant coffee she was making.

"Yes, senpai?"

"Well, first off, I'm a first year, too, not your senpai. Second; what is a commoner like yourself doing in such an uptight, fancy-schmancy place like this? You must have scored really high on the entrance exam to make it in. I thought the kids here had their parents buy their ways in."

Haruhi set down the coffee and ducked her head. Tamaki stood from his corner immediately and approached the girl. "Haruhi? Are… you alright?" Her shoulders started shaking. Ed's brow furrowed as she put her hand over her mouth.

"Look what you did, you selfish jerk! You've made Haruhi cry!"

"Um, no I didn't. She's laughing. But what did I say that was so funny?" Ed scratched the back of his head.

Haruhi finally looked up, hand over her mouth to hold in her giggles. Her eyes were bright with laughing tears. She calmed down enough to speak. "I never thought of it that way, Ed. They," she started giggling again. "They have to buy their ways in with their parents' money! Ha-ha, oh, man!"

The twins frowned at her, and Hunny sniffed slightly. "Does that mean Haru-chan doesn't like us?" Mori reached up and patted his head gently.

"No." He said, not one to mince words.

"Okay! I'm hungry! Can I have some cake, Takashi?" Mori nodded. "Yay! Cake!" They turned and walked into another room.

Ed turned to the door. "Alright, guys, it was nice to meet you all, but I think I'm gonna go look for my first hour class again. See you when I see you!" He turned and swung his arms in a wide circle happily.

His right connected with a jar, bright blue with white decorations. It shattered on impact, showering the floor with shards of glass. Mori and Hunny stuck their heads back through the doorway.

"Ah! Sorry, I guess I have to pay you back."

Haruhi rushed forward. "Don't worry about that right now! You need medical attention for your hand!" Kyoya nodded and flipped out a phone.

"No I don't. I'm alright, I promise." He held up his hand for display, the glove slightly torn. Haruhi stared, incredulous, as he wiggled all of his fingers and clenched them into a fist, and no blood showed. Kyoya frowned slightly and leaned closer, looking through the tears.

"Why is your hand shiny, like metal?" Ed froze at the question, then pulled his hand back, eyes darkening.

"No reason." The host clubs' heads all tilted at once, save for Kyoya's. Tamaki jumped forward and reached for the glove.

"But I wanna seeeeee!" He fell into Ed's sturdy form and pushed both of them over. Somehow, he managed to rip the glove even more, and pulled a big chunk off, revealing three metal fingers.

"Tamaki-senpai!" Haruhi said angrily as Mori lifted the blond off of Ed. Her eyes widened as she noticed his hand, which was made of gears and wires and bits of metal. "Ed…"

The blond cradled his hand to his chest and got up slowly, his head down. "What now? You gonna kick me out? Maybe get me kicked out of the school, huh?"

Haruhi shook her head. "No, we wouldn't do that. I was just going to ask what happened to your hand." Ed's head snapped up to look at her. His eyes were wild and confused.

"W-what? You don't think I'm a demon, o-or a freak or a monster?" Haruhi shook her head.

"Nope. You're still Ed."

Ed felt tears welling up in his eyes. He sniffed and wiped them away quickly. "Um, it's just… I lost my arm when I was a kid. This is the prosthetic replacement." Ed laughed breathily. "Sorry I overreacted." Haruhi shook her head before grabbing Ed's right hand.

"Ed, did people…" she struggled to find the right words. "Did they hurt you for having this arm?" Ed's breath caught in his throat audibly. He shook his head and laughed awkwardly.

"Hurt me? Nah, they didn't do anything like that." He rubbed the back of his head with his human hand and grinned widely. "Not at all, I promise."

The host club all nodded, though none of them believed him. Tamaki handed the glove back, a shamed look on his face. "I'm really sorry about that, Ed. I shouldn't have done it."

Ed shook his head. "You shouldn't have, but don't worry about it. It's done and over with. Don't feel too badly about it." He looked over to Kyoya. "How much was that vase?"

"Uh, that was 11,500,000 yen."

"Okay! I'll get it to you by the end of the day." He smiled that hundred-watt grin and walked out of the host club, looking back and waving happily as he disappeared from sight.

**AN: Please leave a review after the beep. BEEEEEP!**


	2. Chapter 2

**Sorry about the wait! I completely forgot about updating! I'm so sorry! But I'm here now, so have fun! LOVE YOU GUYS!**

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At the end of the school day, Kyoya was searching frantically for anything he could find on one Edward Elric. So far, there had only been an obituary. That obviously wasn't Edward, since he had just seen the short boy today. It was a woman, about the age to be an older sister. Was that it? Was all he could find a sibling's obituary, and absolutely nothing else? There wasn't even a date on the thing!

He snapped the lid of the laptop down as he heard the doors to Music Room 3 open. Kyoya pushed his glasses up on his nose and looked at the new arrival. It was that same boy from that morning, Edward. He had a new pair of gloves on, and he had an envelope in his hand, presumably for the vase he broke.

"Um… here you go. That has the money for the vase, and a little extra."

Kyoya raised an eyebrow. "What's the extra for? Is it to keep me quiet?"

"Yes and no. I do want you seven to keep that little bit a secret, but I wasn't bribing you. The money is for the club, I noticed in your book that you aren't exactly on top of the payments." Kyoya's eyes widened. How did this _boy_, of all people, manage to sneak a peek at his ledger? "This place seems pretty cool. I have a feeling it would be a shame to let it end."

Ed held the envelope out to Kyoya. The raven-haired boy walked forward slowly and pinched his fingers around the envelope. When he tried to pull it away from Ed, the blonde held tightly and spoke.

"I hope you know, I won't hesitate to stop you if I have even the slightest inkling that you're going to tell someone about my arm." He said it jovially, but Kyoya could hear the underlying threat. Ed let go, and Kyoya pulled the envelope away quickly, less controlled than normal. He took a quick glance down at the contents suspiciously, seriously doubting that anyone could just pull eleven plus million yen out of thin air.

His eyes bulged behind the glasses. It was right there, twelve million yen! He peeked at Ed from behind his bangs. The blonde was looking at him expectantly, almost arrogantly. Kyoya composed himself quickly and straightened up, slipping the money into the inner pocket of his jacket.

"May I ask where you happened to accumulate twelve million yen? And how, for that matter?" Kyoya was actually very interested to hear how this boy, who was nearly as short as Hunny and much younger, had gotten that kind of money.

Ed nodded. "I got it doing certain labors for a foreign country, where I was born. These… labors happened to be at a very high risk level, and I was paid extremely… generously. The people who hired me didn't want me to back out of anything, see? They thought I would keep coming back for the money."

Kyoya nodded his head, calculating, but not quite understanding. "I have one more question. This foreign country, which was it?" This was the big reveal; it could explain why he couldn't find any information on this boy. If the country was careful, it wouldn't have let out any information on their people, no hints to let anyone suspect them.

Here Ed's face took on a pained look. "My country… you've never heard of it, I can guarantee that. No one here has, and no one ever will." Ed could feel pinpricks of heat at the backs of his eyes, and he knew he was about to start crying. He forced a sad smile and put his hand over his face.

"It doesn't matter. Are you wondering why you couldn't get any dirt on me? Why there was no such person as 'Edward Elric' in the records and on the internet?"

Kyoya blinked, mouth slightly agape. The kid had practically read his mind. He schooled his features and nodded smoothly. Ed nodded with him.

"You won't be able to find anything. No social media, no bank statements, no traceable technology. There won't be any proof of ownership for anything at all, no newspaper articles. You don't know a single thing about me, Kyoya Ootori. But I know everything about you."

Kyoya smirked. "I do know one thing, Edward. I know about Trisha Elric."

Ed froze, his eyes widening to their limits. He exploded forward, grabbing Kyoya's collar and slamming the taller boy into a wall. Kyoya's glasses fell off on impact, miraculously staying intact after hitting the ground.

"How the hell do you know about her?! Tell me right now, or I swear I will run you through!" Kyoya winced as Ed's metal hand crushed into his windpipe, and the other squeezed his wrists together with incredible strength. He looked into Ed's eyes, and was shocked.

While the amber orbs were wild and angry, they were filling with tears that ran down his cheeks swiftly.

Kyoya forced words out of his mouth. "Can't… breathe…" Ed scowled, then loosened his grip enough for Kyoya to draw a breath. He could already see the bruises forming underneath his hand.

"Now tell me how you know about my mother!" Kyoya's eyes widened. His mother? That woman was his mother? How old was that article, then? Or, maybe the more accurate question was how old Edward's mother was when she had him?

"I-I just saw an article on the internet! I searched your last name and it was the first result! I figured she was your sister or something!"

Ed's eyes narrowed dangerously. "What the hell do you mean you _found the article on the internet?!"_

"Exactly that, it just said that she died of some disease! There was no date, or anything else, I swear!" Kyoya was frantic. With his hands pinned, he couldn't reach his phone to call security. He was questioning Edward's capacity to kill when he heard the double doors open, and the host's voices entered the room.

Ed didn't turn as the host club came in. He heard them chatting aimlessly, then quiet abruptly. He knew they had spotted him assaulting Kyoya. He hung his head in defeat and his shoulders shook as he quietly sobbed.

"How did it happen…?" His voice was faint and broken, so unlike when he had been shouting.

"Edward? What are you doing to Kyoya?" Haruhi's tentative voice called out. When he didn't respond, she tried again.

"Please, Ed, let him go. I'm sure you don't want to hurt him, right?" She nearly laughed, she was so relieved, when Ed's grip loosened all the way and Kyoya stumbled away. Tamaki rushed forward and caught him before he fell, and pulled him back to the safety of the group. Ed fell to his knees, then sat on his heels.

Haruhi motioned to Mori as she started towards Ed. The strong, silent-type host followed closely behind her. She reached his side and slowly got on her knees. She stretched a hand out to his shoulder, despite Mori's warning look. Her fingers rested on his upper arm, and she could feel the solid metal underneath his jacket.

Her eyes widened. The metal went this far up his arm?

She ignored the thought and shook him gently. For a moment, his hair shifted out of the way and she could see his wide, staring eyes and the tears running down his face. Haruhi frowned and leaned back, into Mori's arms. The taller wrapped his limbs protectively around the girl.

"What?" He asked, getting to the point. Haruhi tilted her head up to look at him.

"I don't know, but I think Kyoya deserved what he got." she said softly. Mori raised an eyebrow, but didn't question her. Haruhi leaned forward once more and brushed a few strands of Ed's hair behind his ear. He shifted to stare at her out of the corner of his eye.

Haruhi didn't see any anger there, only hurt and confusion and loneliness. And fear. There was fear in his eyes. She decided that it was safe enough to venture a little farther into the belly of the beast. She wrapped one arm around his shoulders and pulled him to her. He didn't react at all but to close his eyes before his face hit her chest. Haruhi put her other hand on the far side of his head and patted it slowly and rhythmically.

Soon, Edward brought both of his hands to his face and started sobbing loudly. Haruhi saw Mori's large hand rubbing up and down the boy's back soothingly, and smiled slightly at him. Mori blinked in response.

Tamaki set Kyoya down on the floor and held him in a sitting position while he wheezed. Hunny was off to the side, hugging Usa-chan tightly and fighting back tears. He glanced longingly at Mori every once in a while, but knew his cousin was doing something important. Hikaru and Kaoru were crouched in front of Kyoya, identical worried looks on their faces. They were worried about Haruhi too, but they shifted their concern to Kyoya first.

He coughed slightly and gingerly rubbed his neck, where there were visible bruises. Kyoya took several deep breaths, allowing his face to turn back to its normal shade. He shakily stood, with minimal help from Tamaki. He kept his spine as straight as an arrow and snatched his glasses from where they had fallen. He looked at Edward, and was shocked to see Haruhi hugging him.

"Haruhi, get away from him!" He startled the rest of the group out of their reveries and turned the attention to the female host. Tamaki gasped loudly.

"Haruhi! Don't touch him, he's dangerous!" he said commandingly. Hikaru and Kaoru started forward, but were stopped by a tug on the bottom of their jackets. They turned to see Hunny holding onto their coattails tightly.

"Don't worry. Takashi won't let anything happen to her. He'll protect her better than the two of you can." He was deadly serious, his voice having lost the childish lilt. The twins looked at each other, then at Haruhi, and back again. They reluctantly nodded, and Hunny let go of them.

Haruhi barely noticed the host club's agitation as she comforted Edward. The front of her jacket was soaked with his tears, and stiffening with the salt. After a few minutes, she gently pushed him away and tilted his chin up, forcing him to look her in the eyes.

"What did Kyoya do?" she asked seriously. Edward sniffed and wiped his eyes with his sleeve.

"He-well, he w-went looking for i-information on me," he stuttered out. "He found my mother's obituary." Haruhi's eyes darkened.

"Is that it? He didn't do anything else?" Ed hesitated. His eyes wandered to the side. Haruhi held his head in place with her hand on his chin.

"That's enough. He shouldn't have been able to find anything, and the fact that he found something so monumental means my world could be crashing down at any second."

Haruhi blinked, confused. She let go of him, and stood. "I don't know what you're talking about, but you're going to explain it. Now," she said when he shook his head slightly. She grabbed his forearm and hauled him up to his feet. Mori stood with them and put his hand on Ed's shoulder, less comforting this time.

Together, the two dragged the unwilling teen over to the couch and forced him to sit down. Haruhi walked over to the other five hosts and stood amongst them. She looked directly at Kyoya.

"I don't know everything that went on here, but from what I _can_ tell, it wasn't either of your faults. We are all going to sit down and let Ed explain everything, from beginning to end. And we're not going to interrupt," she said to Tamaki, "and we're not going to judge," she said to the twins. "We're going to ignore everything that happened here and try to help him, like a good host club would do."

The six frowned openly, but didn't dare go against Haruhi's words. They knew that they would have to one way or the other while Mori was on her side. Hunny, Tamaki, and the twins dragged their feet as they walked over to the big couch and dragged chairs from other tables.

Ed's face was still puffy and splotchy from crying. Haruhi motioned for him to start.

"Well, the first thing you guys need to know is that I am from an entirely different world than this one." Haruhi shot down the scoffs that she knew the twins would give. She urged Edward to continue.

"Um, in my world, there is alchemy. Like, some peoples' entire lives revolve around the alchemic practice. My dad was an alchemist, and so was my little brother. For some reason, we both took after his talents."

Tamaki raised his hand obediently. "What exactly is alchemy?" he asked when Edward paused.

The short teen sighed. "Well, it's a very dangerous science. It's the science of comprehending, deconstructing, and reconstructing materials. It's cool, but there are rules. The laws of alchemy. And there is one big absolute." His eyes darkened significantly. "The main law is equivalent exchange. 'To gain something, first you must give up something of equal value.' So, say you want to make a sword. First, you have to have all of the elements that make up that sword, and in the correct amounts. It's the same with everything alchemic, that's why it's the number one rule. Other than that, it's a mass of formulas, circles, and calculations. Unless, of course, you have the Philosopher's Stone.

"If you are in possession of the fabled Philosopher's Stone, you can do anything and everything alchemic with it. There is no need for equivalent exchange, or any of the other rules. If that kind of power were to get into the wrong hands, the entire world could be destroyed on a whim." The host club drew back, half disbelieving. What kind of force could do such a thing?

Ed continued with his story. "My mom, she died when Al, my brother, and I were really young. She got real sick and died within a few days. We were devastated; two little kids all alone. My dad left right after Al was born. I don't even remember him from back then. But my brother and I, all we wanted was for our mom to be alive again. We searched for days and weeks on end, looking for a theory to bring her back from the dead. Finally, we found one. It had no flaws, no loopholes, and Al and I, we figured we were experts enough at alchemy that we could pull it off. So, we got all the elements in a human body."

This time, it was Kaoru who raised a hand. "What do you mean, 'got all the elements in a human body'? Did you mooch off of cadavers or something?"

Ed chuckled. "Nah, I meant exactly what I said. The elements of a human body. Water: 35 liters. Carbon: 20 kilograms. Ammonia: 4 liters. Lime: 1.5 kilograms. Phosphorus: 800 grams. Salt: 250 grams. Saltpeter: 100 grams. Sulfur: 80 grams. Fluorine: 7.5 grams. Iron: 5 grams. Silicon: 3 grams, and other elements in small quantities."

Six of the seven hosts sat awestruck as he rattled off all of the elements found in the human body. Kyoya was entranced as he listed them off with ease. Ed leaned against the back of the couch lazily, sullenly.

When the host club had gotten their wits back about them, he continued with his story. "So we bought all of this stuff at the market, with only a fraction of the money our mother left us. We gathered it all together, and I added a bit of my blood, to exchange for Mom's soul. We knew that we could get a body back, but we worried that her soul wouldn't be there. We did the alchemy, and for a moment, we thought it would all be okay. That it worked, and Mom would be back soon. Then it all went downhill."

Ed clenched his fists. "What we brought back wasn't even human. It was disgusting, an insult to everything in this world." His voice was quiet. "Al started to disintegrate. His body was dissolving right in front of me, and I couldn't do anything about it. Soon, he was gone, and my leg was doing the same thing. It stopped right here." He put a hand one third of the way down his thigh. "I could still tell that Al's soul was around, it just couldn't get away. So I got to a suit of armor, and I used my own blood to make a seal on it."

The host club was starting to look a bit green overall.

"I tied Al's soul to the armor, and gave up my right arm as compensation. By the time Al came to, I was a bloody mess. I couldn't make heads or tails of where the hell we were, all I know is that he took me over to Granny's house."

Hikaru put a hand up. "You said you didn't have any family, but you just said 'Granny'. I'm confused."

Ed nodded. "She wasn't our real grandmother. She was Winry's grandma. Winry was a girl down the way with whom we often played. She wanted to be an automail mechanic when she grew up, and Granny was a skilled surgeon and automail mechanic already. Al figured Granny could save me if anyone could, ya know?"

Hunny tilted his head. Ed looked at him questioningly. "What's automail?" Ed pulled off his new glove on his right hand and pulled his blue jacket off, exposing his shirt underneath. He then unbuttoned the shirt and slipped it off of his right arm.

There, in all its glory, was his prosthetic.

"This stuff is automail. Even in my world, it's not a very popular form of prosthetic. It's really expensive, and it hurts like hell to get it installed. The surgeon has to connect each nerve in the end of whatever you're replacing to a specific outlet in the automail, and you can't be on anything to reduce pain. A drug would damage the connection and you'd have to do it all over again. And reconnecting them when you get the automail updated is just as painful, if not for as long."

Ed took off his shoe as well and showed off his shiny foot. "And if you don't get them updated, it can mess with your entire skeletal structure. Like, leave you as a hunchback or a cripple for the rest of your life. So most people don't risk the pain, and stick to normal prosthetics that you just slip on."

Hunny nodded, looking paler than normal.

"So, Al fixed me up the best he could on short notice; he tied me up in a sheet and sprinted to Granny's place. After that, I have no idea at all. Granny said it was a close one; that I almost died a couple times. After I woke up a few days later, I decided that I would be a state alchemist. I did, and I spent a few years with the job. Al spent most of the time with me; he barely ever left my side."

The host club listened intently for the rest of the time as he explained his adventures with Al, Mustang, Hawkeye, Armstrong, Hughes, Mai, and all of the others. They were silent as he explained Father and all seven of his 'children'. When he finished telling about the war, they expected it to be over.

"But when we were trying to get our bodies back, something went wrong. I don't even know what happened, but something happened while Al was getting his body back. It all looked alright, but his body was… wrong. It was too damn skinny and nothing was natural. It was like it aged with him, but it didn't get any of the things it should have, nutrients-wise. He was dead before he hit the ground."

Haruhi's breath caught in her throat and she clutched Tamaki's arm tightly. Ed's eyes watered badly. His hands clenched on his thighs.

"I tried to bring him back; I almost used human transmutation again. I tried to make a deal with the Gate. I gave up my arm again just to see if it would bring him back. I couldn't. I did everything in my power; I even tried CPR. Mustang had to hold me down to get me away from Al's body."

Hikaru and Kaoru held tightly onto each other. Mori tightened his grip on Hunny, and Hunny slipped his arms around Mori. Haruhi tried desperately to stop the tears from leaking from her eyes.

"I couldn't take it. I got away from Mustang and I broke the taboo one more time. I tried to bring him back with alchemy, even after seeing our failed attempt so long ago. I don't know if it worked. I don't have any clue, but somehow I ended up here. I've looked for a long time to find a way back, but there isn't one. Not that I could find, anyway." He looked up from his hands.

"Please, if any information from Amestris gets into this world, there could be hazardous results! So many people have died to protect it; I can't just sit here and let it all go to shit! There has to be some way to get that information off of the internet, and completely destroyed!" He looked over to Kyoya.

"I-I'm sorry I hurt you, but I couldn't run the risk of letting anyone get a hold of information of another world. People will think it's paradise, a place without war or sickness or death. They'll try to find a way there, and there would be an all-out war if they did. It would be terrible, and so many lives would be lost for something so pointless."

Tamaki stood, completely serious, and pulled Kyoya to his feet. He dragged the teen out of the door and turned to face him.

"Can you forgive him for acting out that way? If you can, I have a favor to ask. If not, I'll let it be and find someone else to do it."

Kyoya hesitated only for a moment, then nodded his head. "I figure you want me to remove anything pertaining to Amestris off of any internet databases, and away from public and private eyes." Tamaki nodded.

Kyoya grinned slyly. "Give me two days; I'll contact my family's computer nerds. Everything with any mention of Amestris will be destroyed entirely."

Tamaki nodded. "Good, I assume Ed will be pleased." They stood in awkward silence for a few more seconds before turning to go back to the room. They walked through the doors to find Ed nearly asleep, head resting on Mori's lap. He had cried himself out and his eyes kept falling shut, just to be fluttered open.

The blonde looked up as the two entered the room. "Oh, hello there…" Tamaki waved cheerily, and Kyoya nodded his head in acknowledgement. "Kyoya…" The raven-haired boy leaned in a little closer. "I'm really sorry about hurting you. You're okay, right?"

Kyoya was slightly taken aback by the situation. Apparently Ed was a more open person in this state. "Uh, yes, I'm okay. Thanks for asking."

"Don't mention it. I tried not to hurt you too badly, but this arm doesn't always do exactly what I tell it to do. It responds more to my emotions than my thoughts." Ed's eyes drifted shut, and the club all though he was asleep.

"Besides, you're actually a pretty okay guy. Just don't let your daddy's big expectations change that." Ed finished off with a long snore. Kyoya was silent, and then a choking noise erupted from his throat. Everyone, excluding Ed, looked at him worriedly.

Another noise came out, and suddenly he was enveloped in quiet laughs. The host club just stared as he laughed for several more minutes. When he finally calmed down, no one dared comment. They were all too afraid of invoking the wrath of the 'Shadow King' of the host club.

They waited until the end of the day, just sitting around and talking. It was the first time they had done so in such a long time, and they all felt that they had reconnected with each other. Much of the talk revolved around Ed and his strange life in another world. Hikaru and Kaoru both cracked jokes about Hawkeye and Winry, and Hunny spoke nonstop about Mai and her little panda.

Mori, though he didn't speak much, wondered about Scar, and had to wipe a tear away whenever he thought about poor Nina and Alexander.

Kyoya was intrigued by Hughes, and Tamaki wanted with all his heart to get to know Ed better. He was fascinated by the boy, and his loyalty to his brother and their quest to find a way to get their bodies back. Haruhi spoke about Alphonse, and how he lived and died because of someone else's volitions.

The seven were jolted out of their contemplative mood by Edward crying out in his sleep. His hand drifted to the automail shoulder. His face scrunched up in pain, and tears leaked out of his eyes.

Haruhi knelt down in front of him and put a hand to his forehead. She flinched back as her hand was nearly burned by his hot skin. "Ed! Hey Ed, wake up!" She shook his shoulders desperately. He didn't respond but to moan in agony. His breath hitched in his throat as he gasped. Haruhi looked up to the rest of the host club.

"Something's wrong; he's burning up!"

Mori lifted the writhing boy from his lap and laid him down flat on the couch. Sweat dripped down Edward's temple as he curled around his arm.

Tamaki was pulling on the edges of his hair and gnawing on his lip. "What in the world is wrong with him?!" Kyoya looked on at the teen and thought hard.

"He's gripping his automail arm like it hurts him, but that can't be it; he said automail doesn't have the capability to feel pain…" he wondered aloud. "It must be phantom pains from the limbs he lost!"

Kyoya reached forward and smacked Ed hard on the cheek with his fingertips. Ed didn't wake, and Kyoya decided to exact a little revenge on the boy. He reared back with his hand and slapped him full across the face.

Ed's eyes snapped open as he sat up and looked around the host club wildly, though he didn't release his hold on his arm. "What, what is it? Is something wrong?" He whipped his head from side to side before wincing again. "Gah…" Ed hunched over once more.

"Edward, are you alright? You were crying out in your sleep and lashing out at us." Haruhi crouched in front of him once more and tried to peer into his face. Ed gazed up and gave her a pained smile.

"Yeah, I'm alright. Just one of the upsides of getting automail, I guess," he said sarcastically.

Kyoya pushed his glasses up on his nose. "Is that a phantom pain?" Ed nodded, his hold on his shoulder tightening for a moment.

"Yeah, karma's a bitch. They don't go away, even after so many years." Tamaki looked on sadly. Ed stood shakily and moved to an open area of the room. He began to stretch his arm, praying desperately that the movement will stop the pain that was shooting down his arm like lightning bolts.

The host club looked as Ed stretched for several minutes, thinking. When Ed stopped the constant movement, they all dispersed and settled back down into their seats. Ed could only thank whatever god might be up there that his leg didn't start to hurt as well. Those stupid pains were so much easier to deal with when Al was there to help him.

The thought of his little brother sent a spike of emotion sparking through his heart, and Ed made a small choking noise. Haruhi walked forward slowly and gently raised a hand. Ed flinched as though he expected her to strike him, but all she did was gently rest her palm against his forehead.

"Ed, you're still burning up. You should try to get some more rest." The blonde shook his head.

"It's not a big deal, I'm fine. I promise." Haruhi frowned, but nodded. Ed said his farewells to everyone, then left for the day.

Ed didn't come back the next day. He wasn't there the next day after, or the day after that. In fact, he didn't show up until eight days after he spilled his guts to the host club, and when he did return, it was a very different Ed that walked through the doors.

Kyoya was just finishing up the calculations for the host club's spending for the next three months when he heard the door creak open. The rest of the host club was lounging around music room 3, not paying attention. Kyoya opened his mouth to tell the visitor that they were closed for the day and that they would have to return tomorrow. Instead, a flash of golden hair made him look up.

Ed stood there, looking tired and haggard. There were rings around his eyes and blood was dripping down his left, human hand and most of his exposed skin. His clothes were torn and smoking, and there were large spots of blood all over them. Kyoya leapt to his feet. "Ed!"

The rest of the host club looked up, almost immediately joining Kyoya on their feet. Hunny rushed forward and caught Edward just as he began to fall. He wedged his slight frame underneath Ed's barely larger one and directed him towards a seat. Ed groaned as the cushion settled under his weight. He leaned back and closed his eyes wearily. The host club all settled in around him, eager and hoping to hear exactly what had gone on in the eight days he had been missing.

Ed took a deep breath and sat up. "Sorry I was gone, guys. I didn't think that anyone would make it over here except me, but I was wrong."

Haruhi gave him a confused look. "What do you mean, did somebody else come through the Gate? Someone from your world?"

Ed nodded. "Yeah. Three of the sins were there. Envy, Lust, and Greed. They ambushed me just outside of the city and we started to fight. It took three days just to kill Lust, and they wouldn't back down. After that, it got a little easier, ya know, one on two instead of one on three. I finally killed Envy, and when Greed let his guard down I got him, too. That was about the seven day mark. Then I came straight here."

Everyone was silent. Mori stood and walked to Ed's side. He put one hand on the boy's shoulder and gently pushed him down into a lying position. "Sleep. We'll take care of you." Ed looked ready to protest, but Mori gently patted the boy on the head before he could say a word. The silent giant moved out of the way, and Hunny jumped forward with arms full of first aid supplies.

Before Ed could speak a word of argument, he was fast asleep. Hunny pulled various ointments and creams from the supplies, along with feet and feet of bandages. Mori gently lifted the boy into his arms and deposited him on the couch. The Host Club worked on removing the boy's clothes from his body, and Haruhi gasped at the state his body was in. His well-muscled body was covered in old and new scars, and wounds that were still oozing blood. Mori began wiping the excess blood from around the wounds and Tamaki wrapped bandages around his chest. Haruhi began rubbing ointments and creams on the bruises covering the boy's left arm. Near the wrist was a deep cut that was gushing blood at an alarming rate. Hikaru grabbed a needle and thread and began to stitch up the wound. Kaoru automatically bandaged the wound as soon as Hikaru moved away.

The Host Club finished patching up the boy and sat back, subdued. The entire atmosphere of the room was saddened and depressed. They just sat about for several hours while they prayed that the boy lying on the couch would wake up.

When the Club was beginning to debate whether they should close up shop for the night and take Ed to one of their houses, they all heard a gentle groan. All of the members jumped out of their seats and leaned over the boy expectantly.

Slowly, golden eyes opened and glanced around the room.

* * *

**Thanks for reading! Please leave a review!**


	3. Chapter 3

"Hehe, sorry you guys had to take care of me." Ed rubbed his hand on the back of his head. "I didn't mean to pass out like that." The host club jumped and hurriedly denied it. Haruhi shook her head furiously.

"It's absolutely not a problem, Ed! You were really hurt, and you were fighting for a long time!"

Ed laughed and sat up. "Still, thanks a lot guys. You really didn't have to do that."

Hikaru and Kaoru gave the blonde matching looks of incredulousness. "Are you kidding? You needed _stitches._ You passed out. For nine hours straight! You were bleeding everywhere! Are you saying that you could have handled that all on your own?" Hikaru shouted in the boy's face. Kaoru looked concerned, but nodded from behind his brother.

Ed stopped laughing, and a solemn look came over his features. "Yes. I told you what I've done, you know I know how to take care of myself. I can take care of a few scratches and bruises. Trust me." He no longer looked amused or abashed. He pushed himself to his feet and stood. He swayed on his feet, yet pushed away Mori's reassuring hands.

"It wasn't a big deal. I handled it. End of story." He began to walk away. Mori reached forward and wrapped his arms around the smaller boy's shoulders and pulled him into a tight hug.

"Glad you're okay." Ed's eyes softened at his words. The tall student rubbed the boy's back and let go, with a departing scruff on the head. Ed let himself lean against Mori's side and sighed.

"I'm really sorry to worry you guys. I didn't mean for any of that to happen. I was just out on a walk, seeing what this world is like. They jumped out at me and I couldn't just leave. They would have done a lot more damage than what they did. I'm really thankful to you guys for helping me." He bowed at the waist, still hanging onto Mori so that he wouldn't fall.

Hikaru and Kaoru rubbed the backs of their heads. "Sorry to yell at you. We didn't mean to be angry. We overreacted." Edward shook his head.

"It's alright, guys, no hard feelings. I probably deserved that." Haruhi scoffed.

"All of you need to stop this now. Ed's still hurt and he needs rest." She turned towards Ed. "Do you want to stay the night here or would you like to stay at somebody's house? Or, if you wanted, we could take you back to your house. But fair warning, I'm making somebody stay with you no matter where you go, okay?"

Ed nodded, knowing he wouldn't be able to overcome her authority. "Not here and not my house. I don't care where I stay beyond that."

Hunny jumped up, waving his hand in the air wildly. "Mori and I can take care of him!" Ed looked slightly amused at the boy's enthusiasm. Mori nodded next to Ed. Haruhi looked around the group, and seeing expresions of approval across the board, she nodded as well.

"Hunny and Mori will take care of Ed. But you guys should stop by his house and pick up some clothes and other things for him. He can't really wear those all the time. I don't think your parents will be too happy."

Ed looked down at his blood-soaked clothing and agreed. He would probably give somebody a heart attack walking around like that. "Okay."

Mori and Hunny began walking out of the club, and Ed followed close behind. They went to the basement, where a car was waiting for them. They hopped in and began driving.

Twenty minutes later, they pulled up at Edward's rundown house. They walked inside and Ed began to shove clothing into his bag. The house wasn't very well kept at all. There were holes in the windows and roof, and the walls were peeling of paint. Mori and Hunny tried their hardest not to make an insensitive comment, but Hunny let one slip.

"Kind of messy, huh?" His eyes widened and he put his hands over his mouth. "I'm sorry, Ed! I didn't mean anything by it!"

Ed shrugged." It looks like a piece of shit. I know. It's just a functional home. I'm barely ever here, so it's not a big deal."

The cousins were stunned into silence. Ed finished packing and tossed his bag over his shoulder. He shot the two a gleaming smile. "Ready to go?" He stopped when he saw the looks on their faces. Hunny looked confused, while Mori was saddened. "What? Is there something wrong, guys?"

Hunny spoke hesitantly. "So, you don't really stay here at all?" Ed shook his head. "What about meals?" Ed was still. "And sleep? Sleep is really important, Ed. You need to sleep." His innocent voice grated against Ed's ears with the sentences.

"Um, I, I usually eat when I get hungry. It's not a regular thing, so I can't really plan for it. As far as sleep, I've never really slept all that much, and a few power naps here and there are all I really need to keep going for a long time, so..."

Mori shook his head in a disapproving manner. Hunny agreed. "As soon as we get to the house, I'll have the maids make us a huuuuuuuge meal and you can eat everything you want and then you can sleep on a gigantic bed across the hall from mine and you can sleep for as long as you want!" Ed began to argue, but Hunny's demeanor changed in an instant. His eyes darkened, and he looked murderous. "You're going to sleep a full night, and you're going to eat a good meal. Don't even try to argue with Takashi and me."

Ed put his hands up in mock surrender and began to walk out of the house. "You guys coming? I can't wait for that meal!"

True to his word, as soon as they walked through the door, Hunny was calling for the maids to make a feast fit for a king. He wasn't going to let Ed off easy. The boy absolutely had to eat something. Who knows when the last time was that Ed actually had a good meal? It sure wasn't lately, at the least. It only took about half an hour for the food to be prepared, and Hunny practically forced Ed into the chair and shoveled the food into his mouth on his own. When Ed was stuffed to the brim with pork and salad, Hunny dragged him up the stairs and stripped him down before shoving him bodily into the bed. "Sleep!" was the one command Ed was given before the door shut tightly and Ed was left in complete darkness.

Ed smiled to himself before gently closing his eyes and drifting off into a- finally- restful sleep.


End file.
